How: Founder Scott Toth, a longtime pizza lover, had busy career in Internet software sales, but found himself longing for the type of New York-style pizza that he says couldn’t be found in the Midwest. So, he set out to try and make his own, spending years trying to perfect his pizza technique at home – despite the fact that he didn’t have any prior culinary experience.

The time spent in the kitchen paid off, says Toth, and despite opening Pizzeria Serio at the height of the recession, business is going well. For the first year and a half, Toth himself was working in the kitchen, manning the restaurant’s brick oven; now, he concentrates on running and growing the restaurant’s profile.

Quote from the owner: “My friends and family were excited for me, but they also though it was sort of crazy to open up a pizza place in Chicago.”

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